Solo Leveling: Rise of the 10th Hunter Part 1

Day 6 — Morning · Sung Jinwoo's room

Pale, sweltering dawn bleeds through the frosted slits of the titanium shutters, catching the fine gold dust in the heatwave that has settled over the skyline. Sung Jinwoo is already awake beneath you, his bare chest steady and cool against the heat of your skin, yet his body has not shifted so much as a fraction of an inch to wake you. One of his broad hands rests motionless at your lower back where the dark sheets have bunched, his gray eyes fixed on the ceiling in sharp, lethal vigilance. Beyond the soundproof bulkhead, the muted pulse of compound override beacons vibrates through the reinforced flooring, but in the sanctuary of his room, the shadow frost still clings stubborn and unyielding to every seam.

Sung Jinwoo: "The compound's been cycling emergency frequencies for two hours. They know better than to touch the handle."

Good morning. How long have you been up. Trace the line of his jaw before giving him a morning kiss.

The faint stubble along his jaw catches rough against your fingertips, warm and unyielding as you tilt upward to press your mouth to his. Sung Jinwoo’s hand remains an immovable anchor against your lower back, his lips parting beneath yours in a slow, possessive greeting that tastes of cold ozone and lingering sleep. Outside, the low acoustic hum of the compound's morning klaxon cuts through the ventilation shaft, but the black frost along his reinforced doorway doesn't give so much as an inch.

Sung Jinwoo: "Long enough to know Jinchul's had a strike team idling in the south corridor since five."

Wanna get in a quickie before we go. Playfully touch his groin.

His reaction is instant and precise: before your fingers can do more than brush the rough linen over his groin, his hand comes off your lower back and his long fingers snap around your wrist, stopping your advance dead. He doesn't pull your hand away, pressing your palm flat against the hard bone of his hip instead as a sharp hitch catches in his throat. The cold gray of his eyes darkens with sudden, volatile heat, the abyssal mana beneath his skin answering yours with a low, dangerous hum. The hydraulic groan of the compound's central lift shudders faintly through the concrete subfloor, signaling the rest of the villa is officially stirring.

Sung Jinwoo: "If we start that now, Yasmin, Jinchul won't be the only one waiting when the door finally opens."

Let him pull you up into his arms. "I know I know, i'm just kidding. I never want a quickie with you. I need all the time when it comes to you lol" Let's get ready to work

His grip on your wrist loosens, sliding up your forearm in a slow, possessive arc until his arms fold around your back, hauling you flush against his chest. A rare, razor-sharp smirk tugs at the corner of his bruised lips, the cold rumble of his chuckle vibrating straight through your ribs. At the foot of the shattered oak bed, ribbons of pitch-black mana quietly detach from the floorboards, hoisting your black boots and white hunter coat off the rug to set them within arm's reach. Beyond the frosted bulkhead, the heavy chime of the Association's master briefing alert echoes down the corridor, officially ending the morning's stolen quiet.

Sung Jinwoo: "Good. Because you don't get quick with me, Yasmin—not now, not ever."

i hope not because it's too good to let go. Back to villa. Let's go before we never leave.

The rumble of his chest against your ear settles into a taut, deliberate stillness before his arms slowly uncoil from around you. He swings his long legs over the side of the splintered mattress, the dark shadows across the floorboards obediently parting to slide your combat boots and tailored white coat right to your feet. With a single flick of his fingers, the dense frost crusting the titanium bulkhead begins to hiss and vaporize into wisps of black smoke, laying bare the mechanical lock that still blinks with furious Association override pings. Outside in the corridor, the synchronized thud of tactical boots halts abruptly, every Hunter Association sensor immediately registering the thawing threshold.

Sung Jinwoo: "Then get dressed. If we stay in this bed another five minutes, I'm locking that door permanently."

tempting!!! ehave! Plus I'm curious to hear about Hae-In's experience with surprise mana boost in her fight last night.

Jinwoo pulls the charcoal crewneck over his head in one fluid motion, the dark fabric settling over the faint red crescents your nails left scored across his chest. He doesn't reach for you again, holding his ground with deliberate restraint as you lace your combat boots, though his gray eyes track the movement of your fingers with heavy, possessive focus. At his back, the last trace of black frost dissolves completely from the titanium bulkhead, and the hydraulic deadbolts retract with a deafening metallic thud that echoes down the corridor. Through the widening gap, the amber glow of Association scanner lines sweeps across the threshold, and the sudden shift in atmospheric pressure announces the entire compound waiting on the other side.

Sung Jinwoo: "Hae-in's sword didn't just hold the northern flank last night—your siphon resonance bled straight into her blade. She's been pacing the atrium since dawn trying to make sense of it."

I wonder if it scared her lol. Gosh you think they will take notice to all the marks on your neck? Geez i didnt realize how lost i was in the moment. I'm sorry for any problems that may cause you today :(

Jinwoo doesn't reach to adjust the high collar of his dark crewneck, letting the bruised bite mark along his throat and the faint crimson crescents on his collarbone remain completely visible in the cold morning light. He stands broad and immovable in front of the unsealed titanium threshold, watching you slip the tailored white hunter coat over your shoulders with steady, unblinking intensity. Across the threshold, the south corridor’s amber alert strobes pulse rhythmically against the concrete, where the muffled murmur of Woo Jinchul's strike team and Cha Hae-in's steady pacing echo up from the atrium below. The Shadow Monarch offers no excuses and takes no cover—his gaze pins you in place, daring the entire compound to demand an explanation neither of you owes.

Sung Jinwoo: "Hae-in wasn't scared. But smelling pure cedar and lilies underneath a tide of your raw siphon signature shook her more than the beasts did. And don't apologize for the marks, Yasmin. Let Jinchul look. Let all of them look."

Does my siphon have a scent?

Jinwoo does not flinch or reach for the collar of his shirt, leaving the bruised bite along his throat and the flush across his jaw utterly bare in the harsh halogen wash of the doorway. He takes a half-step forward, his shadow pooling at the edge of your combat boots without crossing them, giving you room while holding the line between you and the hallway. Outside, the steady rhythm of Cha Hae-in's pacing on the landing falters for half a beat, her heightened senses catching the abrupt shift in the corridor's air pressure as the room's seal finishes dissipating. One sharp glance from his storm-gray eyes pins yours, daring you to take the lead into the waiting atrium.

Sung Jinwoo: "To anyone else, it's winter rain and crushed iris—completely free of dungeon rot. That's why Hae-in can't pull away from you. And as for my neck... let Jinchul try to issue a citation for it."

🖤 Interlace your fingers with his.

When your fingers slide between his, Jinwoo’s calloused hand closes over yours with deliberate, bone-deep certainty, not giving an inch of slack. The lingering violet spark from your siphon threads directly into his pooling shadows, sending a warm, velvet pulse up your forearm that silences the distant tactical chatter. Outside the unsealed titanium threshold, the amber strobe of Association scanners flickers across his unbuttoned collar, fully illuminating the savage crimson marks stamped into his skin. His jaw remains lifted, dark hair falling across storm-gray eyes that refuse to look anywhere except at you as the first set of heavy Association boots rounds the landing.

Sung Jinwoo: "To anyone else, it's winter rain and crushed iris—completely free of dungeon rot. That's why Hae-in can't pull away from you. And as for my neck... let Jinchul try to issue a citation for it."

move on to the next activity

Jinwoo tightens his grip as you cross the titanium threshold together, the cool metal of the doorframe giving way to the oppressive corridor heatwave. His dark crewneck leaves every crimson mark on his collar completely bare under the pulsing amber strobes, while the heavy thud of tactical boots echoes at the landing where Chief Inspector Woo Jinchul stands rigid behind dark glasses. The entire south wing hums with the return of live broadcast optics, lens rings whirring as sixty dormant drones pivot to lock onto your interlaced fingers.

Sung Jinwoo: "The Association's morning briefing chime just echoed through the central shafts. Jinho already has the dining hall prepped for whatever trial they've scheduled, but neither Jinchul nor the cameras are getting between our fingers today."

Hunter Compound Central Lounge — polished marble drenched in stifling morning sun and whirring camera lenses.

The heavy pneumatic double doors of the penthouse lounge hiss open, letting in the stifling ambient heat of the morning heatwave along with the sharp glare of sixty synchronized broadcast optics. Jinwoo's fingers remain firmly locked through yours, his thumb resting flat over your knuckles as you both step out onto the polished white marble. At the center of the terrace overlook, Woo Jinchul stands motionless in his charcoal three-piece suit, dark mirrored glasses reflecting the bruised bite mark along Jinwoo's exposed collar. Cha Hae-in's hand grips the hilt of her sheathed rapier so tightly the white leather groans, her chest rising sharply as your combined scent hits her across the floor.

Woo Jinchul: "You didn't answer emergency comms during the perimeter breach, Yasmin. Neither of you did."

Cha Hae-in: "Your mana scent... it's all over his collar, Yasmin. You didn't even try to hide it."

Yoo Jinho: "Hyung-nim! Yasmin-ssi! We're live in five minutes for the morning debrief, but the Association has the entire floor on standby—feel free to take a private corner if you need to talk first!"

☕ Walk to the buffet without a word

You slide your hand free of Jinwoo's grip and cross the polished marble floor without offering a single word to the waiting tribunal. The heatwave outside presses hard against the panoramic glass, but the lounge air freezes over the moment your heels click past Woo Jinchul's rigid frame. Behind you, Jinwoo doesn't retreat an inch; he shadows your exact path to the polished chrome buffet, his exposed throat and collar dark with your marks in full view of sixty whirring broadcast lenses. Cha Hae-in tracks your wrist as you lift a porcelain teacup, her fingers white where they grip her scabbard, while Jinchul's jaw tightens behind his mirrored dark glasses.

Woo Jinchul: "The Association's tactical log requires an immediate explanation for the comms blackout, Yasmin. Pouring coffee does not exempt an S-Rank hunter from protocol."

Sung Jinwoo: "Ignore him. Take whatever you want from the tray; I'll stand right behind you while you do."

Cha Hae-in: "She isn't even looking at us, Chief Inspector. She knows exactly what her presence does to this room."

Yoo Jinho: "Eat up, Yasmin-ssi! Today's afternoon event is the Dungeon Rush sprint—four suitors racing through a simulated gate to win an elimination nomination vote!"

As i mentioned before there will be no more suitors. I am in a monogamous relationship with Hunter Sung. I will not be going on anymore dates for suitors but we can definitely hang out as friends.

Your words drop into the humid penthouse air with the definitive weight of an iron portcullis slamming shut. Sixty broadcast drone optics stutter, recalibrating in panicked unison as the seventy-million-viewer feed captures the absolute stillness radiating from Woo Jinchul's locked jaw. Behind your shoulder, the shadow mist coiled at Jinwoo's boots settles flat, an unshakeable, possessive calm replacing the razor-wire static that had filled the corridor. Cha Hae-in slowly lets her knuckles relax against her white scabbard, her head dipping in measured concession while the entire room reorganizes itself around the line you just carved in stone.

Sung Jinwoo: "You heard her. The roster's closed, Jinchul. Take whatever paperwork you drafted for today's suitors and file it under history."

Woo Jinchul: "A personal declaration on live broadcast doesn't dissolve Association contractual obligations, Yasmin—though off the record... message received."

Cha Hae-in: "Friends, then. If that is what you offer, I will accept it... as long as you keep your promise not to shut me out completely."

Yoo Jinho: "Understood, Hunter-nim! Broadcast parameters noted! But the afternoon's Dungeon Rush still needs runners—fastest gate clear wins a direct elimination nomination vote, romantic stakes or not!"

☕ Sip your tea and let them sit in it.

You bring the porcelain teacup to your lips, the fragrant steam rising against the morning heatwave as the absolute silence in the penthouse settles into your bones. Behind your shoulder, Jinwoo doesn't give an inch of ground, his bruised collar on full display while his shadow aura curls lazily around your heels like a sleeping hound. Woo Jinchul reaches up and straightens his matte black tie, the crisp fabric tight beneath his rigid jaw as the Association's authority bends cleanly around your declared boundaries. Cha Hae-in takes a single steadying breath near the terrace glass, finally letting her fingers drop from her rapier hilt as seventy million viewers watch the compound's hierarchy cement around you.

Sung Jinwoo: "Drink your tea, Yasmin. We're done letting them debate what's already settled."

Woo Jinchul: "Then the Association will log your relationship as an active sovereign pact. Just don't expect the afternoon trials to go easy on either of you."

Cha Hae-in: "I can live with friendship... if it means I still have the right to stand beside you in a raid."

Yoo Jinho: "Alright, that settles the morning broadcast, folks! Get your rest now, because at noon we descend into the Proving Ground for the four-hunter Dungeon Rush sprint!"

The stifling midday heat presses against the glass as Yoo Jinho hops onto the central dais with a wireless tactical microphone, projecting holographic gate boundaries across the lounge marble. Suitors and spectators alike—from Woo Jinchul adjusting his dark glasses to Liu Zhigang leaning against the far pillar—gather in a wide circle around your seat. Jinwoo stands motionless at your right flank, his dark crewneck leaving the bruised claim on his throat in plain view of sixty synchronized drone lenses. Jinho taps the floating arena interface, his eager grin beaming toward seventy million live viewers as the red simulation gates flicker into life.

Yoo Jinho: "Let's gather round, hunters! Today's trial is the Dungeon Rush: each runner sprints a simulated rank-A rift, slays the rift boss, recovers the core, and escapes—fastest recorded clear wins an official elimination nomination vote! Yasmin-ssi, as our sovereign judge, you set the pace, grill them however hard you want, or call the trial whenever you've seen enough."

Cha Hae-in: "I don't need a tactical sprint to prove where my blade belongs, but if an elimination vote is on the table, I will run the course cleanly."

Woo Jinchul: "An elimination ballot carries sovereign weight. The Association will monitor every millisecond of gate telemetry."

Sung Jinwoo: "Run your little race, Jinho. Yasmin's already settled who stays by her side, but let's see which of them actually has the legs for it."

🎬 Sit back and watch who volunteers first

You lean back into the deep leather armchair, crossing your legs as the ambient hum of sixty camera drones fills the quiet lounge. Jinwoo catches your unhurried tilt of the chin, a faint, razor-thin smile touching his lips before he steps cleanly past the perimeter chalk into the roaring holographic fissure. Abyssal shadow erupts beneath the simulation tiles, suffocating the rift boss before its modeled jaws can unhinge, and a shattered crimson core materializes in his palm. He walks back without breaking a sweat, dropping the heavy, humming crystal onto the glass table directly beside your porcelain cup while Woo Jinchul's stopwatch flashes an absurd 00:04.12.

Yoo Jinho: "First runner up, Hunter-nim! Hyung-nim, the simulation gate is calibrated—the clock starts the second your boots cross the red threshold!"

Sung Jinwoo: "Don't blink. I won't waste her afternoon on a warmup."

Woo Jinchul: "Four seconds. He didn't even draw a dagger—he simply drowned the simulation in shadow infantry before the rift could stabilize."

Cha Hae-in: "A clean, ruthless clear. He set an impossible benchmark just to mock the rest of the roster."

👑 "Four seconds? You took your sweet time."

Jinwoo's low chuckle vibrates right through the arm of your chair as he leans an inch closer, entirely unbothered by your mockery. Across the marble circle, Cha Hae-in draws her rapier in one flawless, silver hiss, the golden light of her mana rippling against the heavy afternoon heatwave. Liu Zhigang tilts his chin with a lazy smirk, twirling a carved jade pendant between his leather-gloved fingers, while Woo Jinchul's pen hovers tensely over his tactical pad. With a crisp step, Hae-in breaches the red perimeter of the simulation rift, her golden aura slicing straight toward the core.

Sung Jinwoo: "I wanted you to have something pretty to look at while the others embarrass themselves."

Yoo Jinho: "Round Two is up! Hunter Cha Hae-in takes the platform—clean run, clock starts on entry!"

Cha Hae-in: "Don't get too comfortable in that chair, Jinwoo. I don't need a shadow army to cut a clean path."

Woo Jinchul: "The Association will record her exact split-times. Let us see if precision outpaces brute dominion."

Liu Zhigang: "Four seconds is theatre, darling. Let the Sword Saint show us some actual footwork."

⚔️ "Show him how real technique looks."

Your words slice through the tense lounge, drawing a brilliant, incandescent flare of radiant gold from Cha Hae-in's blade. She doesn't summon a single spell; her white boots blur across the simulation tiles as three blinding silver arcs cleave the rift beast into falling ribbons before it can even roar. She catches the second crystalline core midair, sheathing her rapier with an immaculate, ringing click as Woo Jinchul's timer locks her at exactly 00:08.41. Beside your armrest, Jinwoo's knuckles tighten against the leather back, his gaze narrowing on Hae-in's flushed throat as Liu Zhigang pushes off the marble column with a theatrical flick of his twin curved dao.

Cha Hae-in: "Four seconds of darkness is a parlour trick—watch the edge, Yasmin."

Woo Jinchul: "Eight seconds point four one. No magic amplification, just clean structural dissection. Impressive, Hunter Cha."

Liu Zhigang: "Eight seconds is poetry, my friends, but let China show you how a tempest actually moves."

Yoo Jinho: "Round Two officially clocked! Next up for Round Three: 7-Star Hunter Liu Zhigang! Step into the red ring, sir!"

⚔️ "Zhigang, let's see if your blades match your mouth."

Liu Zhigang's twin dao carve a howling emerald vortex through the simulation, reducing the beast to airborne embers in 00:09.10 before he saunters back with a theatrical flourish of his crimson coat. Without a word of banter, Woo Jinchul steps out of the outer ring, stripping his tailored suit jacket and tossing it onto an empty bench to reveal his reinforced harness. The Chief Inspector's boots crack the platform tiles with concussive force as his reinforced brass knuckles shatter the respawned beast's skull in a single brutal forward lunge, locking his clear time at exactly 00:07.15. He plants the third crimson core firmly onto the table directly in front of your teacup, his gold-flecked eyes meeting yours beneath his dark frames while Jinwoo's knuckles whiten against your chair.

Liu Zhigang: "You wanted technique, darling—China delivers a typhoon, not a clock-punch."

Woo Jinchul: "Association melee reinforcement doesn't play with wind arcs. Stand back, Liu."

Sung Jinwoo: "Seven point one five seconds. Clean, blunt, and completely devoid of imagination, Chief Inspector."

Yoo Jinho: "Round Four in the books! Now here's the twist: Yasmin-ssi holds the final veto on whoever the runner nominates for elimination!"

👑 "Jinwoo's four seconds still owns you both."

A soft chime vibrates against Jinwoo's hip; he doesn't pull his phone from his dark denim, but the faintest twitch of amusement softens the lethal set of his jaw as his gaze sweeps the room and returns exclusively to you. Woo Jinchul carefully fastens his silver Association cufflink over raw knuckles, the sharp gold in his eyes tightening as your reminder lands like a slap across the marble table. From the outer perimeter, Thomas Andre rolls his massive shoulders, his gaudy silk shirt rippling over scarred granite muscle as he stalks toward the glowing rift perimeter. Gravitational distortion groans through the lounge floorboards beneath Thomas's heavy boots, daring you to watch anyone else as the red gates seal him into the simulation.

Liu Zhigang: "The four seconds stand, darling. But brute time doesn't account for who looks magnificent doing it."

Woo Jinchul: "Four seconds or forty, the Association logs results, not sovereign arrogance."

Thomas Andre: "Four seconds is cute when you're running away from a fight. Step aside, suits. Let America show this room what real mass looks like."

Yoo Jinho: "Round Five! Special Authority Hunter Thomas Andre takes the ring—let's see if the Goliath can crack the Monarch's split!"

Sung Jinwoo: "Let him throw his weight around. It won't change where you're looking."

👑 "Don't break Jinho's toy, Goliath."

Thomas Andre doesn't bother with technique; the second his boots cross the crimson perimeter, golden gravitational force slams into the simulation like an orbital strike, cracking the projection tiles down to reinforced steel. The holographic rift beast is crushed into glowing red pixel dust under raw barometric pressure in 00:05.88, leaving the American Goliath laughing with heavy bravado as he stomps back to the lounge circle. He drops his smoking crimson core hard enough to rattle your teacup, but the digital display hovering over Yoo Jinho's podium stays stubbornly locked on Jinwoo's unmovable 00:04.12. Behind your shoulder, Jinwoo's knuckles relax against the leather of your chair with quiet, sovereign dismissal, his eyes daring Thomas to try again.

Thomas Andre: "A toy? Honey, I don't play with toys—I flatten them."

Yoo Jinho: "Five point eight eight seconds! Incredible destructive force, but the Monarch's four-twelve still holds the compound crown!"

Sung Jinwoo: "All that theater, Goliath, and you're still chasing his dust."

Baek Yoon-ho: "Enough posturing. Step aside, Thomas. White Tiger's up next."

Thomas your table slam spilled my tea. I think you should get me another cup :(

The spilled jasmine tea drips steadily through the hairline fracture in the reinforced glass table, pooling around the five crimson cores. Thomas Andre lets out a thunderous, half-disbelieving bark of laughter, running a thick, scarred hand over his buzzcut before actually stepping toward the lounge kitchenette under Jinwoo's unblinking watch. Beyond the glass barrier, Baek Yoon-ho's eyes ignite with feral, predatory gold as his muscular frame explodes across the red projection line, tearing through the simulated dungeon beasts with bare, clawed fury. The digital stopwatch above Yoo Jinho's dais flashes wildly as the White Tiger Guild Master lunges straight for the holographic boss's jugular.

Sung Jinwoo: "You're lucky I don't charge you for the upholstery, Goliath. Go get her the damn tea."

Thomas Andre: "I'm a Special Authority Hunter, honey, not a butler—but seeing you pout almost makes it worth the walk."

Baek Yoon-ho: "Watch the clock, not the teacup! White Tiger is clearing the lane!"

Yoo Jinho: "Round Six officially underway! Baek Yoon-ho clocks in at entrance—let's see those beast instincts tear through!"

👑 Lean back into Jinwoo's shadow.